The Book of Marriage - Sahih Muslim 1405a

There came to us the proclaimer of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has granted you permission to benefit yourselves, i. e. to contract temporary marriage with women.

Scholarly Commentary

This narration refers to the practice of mut'ah (temporary marriage) which was initially permitted during early Islam under specific circumstances, particularly during travel and military campaigns when permanent marriage was difficult.

The majority of classical scholars hold that this permission was later abrogated by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself. Imam Muslim includes this hadith to document the historical development of Islamic rulings, not as evidence for its continued permissibility.

The consensus (ijma') of the companions and subsequent generations of scholars affirms the prohibition of temporary marriage. This abrogation was established through multiple authentic narrations where the Prophet (ﷺ) explicitly forbade mut'ah marriage, considering it unlawful until the Day of Judgment.

The permissibility mentioned in this hadith was a temporary concession during times of necessity, similar to other temporary concessions in Islamic law that were later revoked when the circumstances changed.